Shadows
by Loopstagirl
Summary: This was Morgana's chance to seek her revenge.


_Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights belong to their respective owners._

_Another one written for a Camelot_Drabble prompt that I thought I would extend. Hope you like it._

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Morgana strode purposefully through the halls, ignoring the sounds of fighting happening all around her. The knights had only made it this far because she had let them. Not that her men knew that, they wouldn't trust her if they knew she wanted the enemy inside the walls. But it was the only way to lure Arthur out on his own, for he would never leave his men while being out on the battlefield.

Magic shimmered around her. Some of it was protection spells. She had no intention for a stray arrow or a lucky sword thrust to undo all the work she had been striving towards for years. But it was also her gathering her strength, preparing to have a victory once and for all. As she reached the next turn in the corridor, Morgana smiled. She could hear him now, yelling orders to his men. It was true he was a good tactician in war; his orders were exploiting the weakness of the castle.

He also had a tendency to listen with his heart rather than his head though. Morgana made sure her position was accurate and she would be able to get him where she wanted him before letting a trickle of magic flow from her. It was nothing more than a whisper, a feeling Arthur wouldn't be able to ignore. As soon as the magic had left her, Morgana moved until she was in position, knowing Arthur wouldn't hesitate. Sure enough, the thunderous sounds of his footsteps came hurtling towards her and she stepped back so she couldn't be seen. As Arthur came into view, she smiled. He had come alone. Morgana knew that wouldn't be the case for long, Merlin would realise his precious prince wasn't in sight and come looking.

She had to act fast.

"_Ic abietee baet stanhol_." Her voice was nothing more than a hiss and Arthur looked up at the sound of the wall above him creaking. He only had time to dive forward before it collapsed, showering him with rocks. Morgana waited until the dust had settled before moving forward. He was still alive, but unconscious and she smirked. It was perfect. Now Arthur Pendragon would be able to die at her hand.

She moved until she stood over him, lifting her palm in order to end his life once and for all. The throne would then be hers and no one would stand against her. But the words died in her mouth as she stared down at him. Shaking herself, Morgana tried again. She couldn't do it. Lowering her hand, she stared down at his still form. He looked innocent with his eyes shut like that, and before she knew what was happening, Morgana was being reminded of a time in her life when Arthur was her ally, not her enemy.

"_You can't have a sword!"_

"_Why not?" Morgana glared at the twelve year old, drawing herself up to her full height and grinning at the fact that made her taller than him. Arthur instantly pouted and trying to crane upwards, determined to beat her._

"_Because you're a girl."_

"_That's not a reason."_

"_Is!" He was getting upset now and Morgana knew that victory was hers. Part of her knew it was unfair seeing how many times a day she could upset Arthur. But she didn't want to be here, she just wanted to go home. Maybe if she didn't relent in her bullying of the young prince, then the king would feel like he had no choice but to send her back again._

"_Is not! How else am I supposed to defend myself?"_

"_You don't need to, you have to stay inside and let the knights do the fighting." _

_Already she could see the pride in his voice for the knight he would one day become. Looking at him now, she knew that was some time away. At only twelve, Arthur had yet to hit his first real growth spurt and he hadn't developed any of the leanness or muscles he would need in order to be a knight. But she knew it was just a matter of when, not if. Not only because it was his duty, but because she could see by the glint in his eye that it was everything he ever wanted._

_Unfortunately, he couldn't recognise the same glint in her eye for what it was._

"_And what if the bad men break in and get past the knights?" She retorted, crossing her arms. She hated the way the sleeves flapped, it was such a hindrance to her movement. But she had been told the King had commissioned it especially for her and it was her duty as his ward to wear it whether she liked it or not. She would much rather be dressed the way the prince was._

"_They won't."_

"_But say they do. Wouldn't you want someone on the inside who knew how to use a sword and could keep them at bay until the knights got back up again?" She had forgotten about her plan simply to upset Arthur. Now she just wanted him to back down and let her practice with him. A look of interest had suddenly flickered across his face and he sat down cross-legged on the grass. Morgana followed suit._

"_But you'd have to have the weapons hidden inside as well," he said. It seemed that he too had forgotten that this was about Morgana wanting a sword. Both children forgot their squabble as they began to plan out what would happen if someone bad did make it into the castle._

_Several hours later, the maids had to drag them in to dine with the king, and their conversation continued. When Uther realised what they were talking about, he seemed relieved that they had finally stopped fighting. But when the talk continued the next day and he caught Morgana with Arthur's wooden sword in her hand and the prince rubbing a sore point on his arm, the king had instructed that Morgana was not to be allowed near the training grounds without an escort and Arthur's training should be intensified immediately._

_From then on, Morgana had only been able to watch from her window as Arthur nearly collapsed in exhaustion in a vain effort to make the king proud. In return, the king always looked the other way and gave more orders. Morgana's hatred of Uther had started long before she realised she was different to those surrounding her. It had begun before she even became an adult._

And Arthur… Arthur still put everything on the line in order to make his father proud now. Morgana couldn't take her eyes off the crumbled figure at her feet. Her men were still holding off the knights, but she knew it wouldn't last long, especially not when they realised Arthur was missing. Their loyalty to Arthur was greater than even her own had once been and they would stop at nothing to ensure his safety. But his determination to lead them to victory every time just to get that nod from the king was going to get him killed… And today was that day. But Morgana hesitated.

Unable to resist, she crouched next to him and ran a hand down his cheek. The blackness of her glove stood out in stark contrast to the paleness of his skin. Arthur didn't even know she was here. He had just received reports of the bandits using the castle as a hide out and look a good prince, he had ridden straight into the trap in order to investigate. So determined to please he had forgotten to think.

Morgana cursed the memory for surfacing. Arthur had never done anything to her other than be in line for her throne. But now… Now she could only remember the boy who had put aside what he believed he thought he knew about girls and swords and spent hours discussing tactics with her. She tried to tell herself that she would actually be helping him by killing him, freeing him from being a puppet to the king. But it wasn't working. She could only see the excitement in his eye at having someone his own age to talk to about things they were both interested in. It reminded her of something, something she had long forbidden herself to think about. Arthur's childhood had been as lonely as hers.

"I can defend myself without a sword now, brother," she murmured, her voice lacking its usual hatred as her hand rested against his cheek for a moment. He had grown into himself as he grew older, although that glint in his eye had never left and Morgana knew that he had earned his position more than the king had given him credit for. He still fought for what was right, regardless of the cost to him. His current position proved that. She momentarily wondered if he would have fought for her when she first realised she had magic or would he be so blinded by his father's views he wouldn't have given her a chance to explain. Thinking of Uther reminded her of the task at hand.

Morgana straightened up again. She was running out of time. She needed to end this now. Her hand outstretched again and she stood, transfixed. The words of the spell had fled her mind and the bloodlust that had kept her going through these last few years seemed to be missing now when she needed it the most. Arthur still looked like that twelve year old now, innocent and determined, adamant that he was going to do what was right just because it was right.

Morgana found herself wishing that she was still the same girl as well. Not because she wanted to be overlooked, far from it. But because life had been easier back then. Despite her arguments with both father and son, she had been happy. The desire to help, not hurt, people had filled her days and she had had friends. She had been loved and now she was on her own, stooping to bribe bandits in order to help her to kill the man she had once considered a friend, a true brother.

"Arthur!"

Morgana stepped back into the shadows as Merlin came charging in, instantly dropping to his knees and feeling for a pulse. As the servant sat back on his haunches and ran a hand through his hair, Morgana watched them closely. Arthur's head moved slightly and his hand twitched, instinctively reaching for the sword she had once tried to make him give up.

She still had time to say the spell, not considering it didn't matter which one of them it hit. Arthur was the one standing in her way, but Merlin always seemed to wedge himself between her and her throne just as much as the prince did. Both needed to die…and no spell left her. She couldn't do it. Love was a weakness, she couldn't afford to think like this.

But as Arthur's eyes opened and Merlin helped him get unsteadily to his feet, both glancing around, she knew it was too late for her. She wouldn't be so lenient next time, she would focus her anger and attention the way it needed to be and make sure Arthur was destroyed before he even stepped foot in her castle the next time they met.

As the two men disappeared, Morgana knew it was time for her to do the same. The castle had been breached and the majority of the bandits wouldn't survive. Those that did would meet her anger, for no one could be allowed to talk about who was truly behind the ambush. She needed the same trick to work again, for she knew Arthur was gullible enough to fall for it twice, especially considering he had never seen her.

By the time the bandits realised they were overrun and looked for their mistress to magic them a way out of their current predicament, Morgana was long gone.


End file.
